1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor memory device and manufacturing method thereof. More particularly, the present invention relates to a semiconductor memory device having a memory cell array region and a peripheral circuit region, and to a manufacturing method thereof.
2. Description of the Background Art
Recently, because of widespread use of information equipments including computers, the demand for semiconductor memory devices has been rapidly increasing. As to the function, a memory device having large scale storage region and capable of high speed operation has been required. Accordingly, technical development has been made to attain higher degree of integration, high speed response and high reliability of the semiconductor memory device.
A DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) has been generally known as one of the semiconductor memory devices which allows random input/output of memory information. The DRAM includes a memory array 51 which is a storage region for storing a large number of pieces of memory information, and a peripheral circuitry controlling the memory cells in the memory cell array 51 for external input/output, as shown in FIG. 45.
The peripheral circuitry mainly includes a row and column address buffer 52, a row decoder 53, a column decoder 54, a sense refresh amplifier 55, a data in buffer 56, a data out buffer 57 and a clock generator 58.
On a semiconductor chip of the DRAM having such a structure, memory cell array 51 occupies a large area. A plurality of memory cells each for storing unit memory information are formed arranged in a matrix. The memory cell generally consists of one MOS (Metal Oxide Semiconductor) transistor and one capacitor connected thereto, and is widely known as a one transistor, one capacitor type memory cell. The memory cell having such a simple structure facilitates improvement of the degree of integration of the memory cell array, and therefore it has been widely used for DRAMs having large capacity.
In such a DRAM, the conventional structure at an interface between the memory cell array region and the peripheral circuit region is as shown in FIG. 46, for example.
Referring to FIG. 46, a capacitor 105 constituting the memory cell has a cylindrical lower electrode (storage node) 101, and an upper electrode (cell plate) 104 opposing to the lower electrode 101 with a capacitor dielectric film 103 interposed.
The lower electrode 101 is formed on an insulating layer 116, and is electrically connected to a source/drain region (not shown) of the MOS transistor through a conductive layer 102 in a contact hole 118. Further, an insulating layer 106 is formed to extend both to the memory cell array region and the peripheral circuit region, covering capacitor 105.
In the structure of the conventional semiconductor memory device shown in FIG. 46, when the degree of integration is increased, a step or level difference S2 between the memory cell array region and the peripheral circuit region increases, degrading process margin of the subsequent manufacturing steps. This problem will be described in detail in the following.
When higher degree of integration of the DRAM is promoted, the memory cell size is inevitably made smaller. As the memory cell size is reduced, two-dimensional area of occupation of the substrate is reduced accordingly. Therefore, the amount of charges stored in the capacitor (amount of charges stored in 1 bit of memory cell) decreases, so that the operation of the DRAM as a storage region becomes unstable, lowering reliability.
In order to prevent the unstable operation of the DRAM, it is necessary to increase the capacitor capacitance within the limited two-dimensional area of occupation. As means to increase capacitor capacitance, approaches such as {circle around (1)} marking thinner the capacitor dielectric film, {circle around (2)} enlargement of opposing area of the capacitor and {circle around (3)} increase in dielectric constant of the capacitor dielectric film have been studied.
The approach {circle around (1)}, that is, making thinner the capacitor dielectric film has already reached the limit as long as a silicon oxide film is generally used as the capacitor dielectric film. The approach {circle around (3)}, that is, increase in dielectric constant of the capacitor dielectric film has various problems unsolved, as it is necessary to employ a material of high dielectric constant as the capacitor dielectric film. Therefore, the approach {circle around (2)}, that is, enlargement of the opposing area of the capacitor has been widely adopted as the simplest method.
In approach {circle around (2)}, the capacitor capacitance can be increased by providing a cylindrical portion at lower electrode 101 and making higher the cylindrical portion, as shown in FIG. 46.
When the height of the cylindrical portion of lower electrode 101 is made higher, the step S2 between the memory cell array region and the peripheral circuit region becomes higher. The higher the step S2, the more residue will be left at the portion of the step S2 at the time of patterning the conductive layer on insulating layer 106, possibly resulting in a failure such as a short-circuit of the conductive layer because of this residue. Thus, the larger step S2 decreases process margin of the subsequent manufacturing steps.
An object of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor memory device and manufacturing method thereof which can reduce the step between the memory cell array region and the peripheral circuit region in a small number of manufacturing steps.
The semiconductor memory device in accordance with the present invention, which has a memory cell array region including a plurality of memory cells and a peripheral circuit region including elements controlling the memory cells, includes a cylindrical electrode and an insulating layer. The cylindrical electrode is contained in the memory cell, and has a porous cylindrical portion. The insulating layer is formed only in the peripheral circuit region to make less steep the step resulting from the provision of the cylindrical electrode.
In the semiconductor memory device in accordance with the present invention, the insulating layer is provided only in the peripheral circuit region, and therefore the step between the memory cell array region and the peripheral circuit region can be made less steep by the thickness of the insulating layer. Accordingly, degradation of the process margin in the subsequent manufacturing steps can be prevented.
In the semiconductor memory device described above, preferably, the insulating layer has an end surface positioned at an interface between the memory cell array region and the peripheral circuit region, with the end surface arranged facing an outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical electrode.
By such an arrangement of the insulating layer, the step generated by the cylindrical electrode can be made less steep.
In the semiconductor memory device described above, preferably, a first silicon nitride film is further provided, formed in the memory cell array region to be in contact with a lower surface of the cylindrical electrode.
Therefore, the first silicon nitride film acts as an etching stopper, facilitating control of etching.
In the above described semiconductor memory device, preferably, a semiconductor substrate having a conductive region on its main surface, a second insulating layer having a contact hole formed on the main surface and reaching the conductive region, and a second silicon nitride film formed in contact with a side surface of the contact hole are further provided. The cylindrical electrode is electrically connected to the conductive region through the contact hole.
Accordingly, good electrical connection can be established between the cylindrical electrode and the conductive region.
In the above described semiconductor memory device, preferably, another electrode is further provided, which opposes to the cylindrical electrode with a dielectric film interposed to form a capacitor together with the cylindrical electrode.
Thus, a capacitor constituting a memory cell can be obtained.
In the above described semiconductor memory device, preferably, the conductive region is a source/drain region of an insulated gate type field effect transistor.
Thus, an insulated gate type field effect transistor as a memory transistor constituting the memory cell can be obtained.
The method of manufacturing a semiconductor memory device in accordance with the present invention is for manufacturing a semiconductor device having a memory cell array region including a plurality of memory cells and a peripheral circuit region including elements for controlling the memory cells, including the following steps.
First, an insulating layer having an opening in the memory cell array region is formed both in the memory cell array region and the peripheral circuit region. A conductive layer having a porous cylindrical portion along an inner wall surface of the opening is formed. An etchant is introduced through the pores of the conductive layer from the inner peripheral region to the outer peripheral region of the cylindrical portion, so that an insulating layer positioned on an outer peripheral side of the cylindrical portion is removed by etching.
In the method of manufacturing a semiconductor memory device in accordance with the present invention, the etchant is introduced from the inner peripheral region to the outer peripheral region of the cylindrical portion, whereby the insulating layer on the side of the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion is removed. In other words, the insulating layer on the side of the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion is removed by etching in the lateral direction from the inner to the outer peripheral side. Therefore, what is necessary is to etch only by the desired width, of the insulating layer on the side of the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion, and etching by the vertical height of the cylindrical portion is unnecessary. Therefore, reduction in film thickness in the vertical direction resulting from the etching can be reduced. Therefore, it is unnecessary to provide a mask on the peripheral circuit region at the time of etching, and etching in self-alignment manner is possible.
In the above described manufacturing method, preferably, the removal by etching is effected by isotropic etching.
Accordingly, it is possible to introduce the etchant from the inner peripheral region to the outer peripheral region of the cylindrical portion.
In the above described manufacturing method, preferably, a step is further provided in which another electrode is formed to oppose both to the inner and outer peripheral surfaces of the cylindrical portion with the dielectric film interposed.
Thus, a capacitor constituting a memory cell can be manufactured.
In the above described manufacturing method, preferably, the step of forming the conductive layer having porous cylindrical portion includes the steps of forming a porous conductive layer on an inner wall surface of the opening and on an upper surface of the insulating layer, forming a resist only at the bottom portion of the opening, and, by anisotropically etching the conductive layer with the resist left, removing the conductive layer on the upper surface of the insulating layer and leaving the conductive layer in the opening.
Thus a conductive layer having a porous cylindrical portion can be formed.
In the above described manufacturing method, preferably, the step of forming the resist only at the bottom portion of the opening includes the steps of applying a positive resist on an entire surface, exposing a relatively shallow portion to such an extent that enables removal by development from an upper surface of the resist and exposing a relatively deep portion to such an extent that does not allow removal by development, and developing the exposed resist.
Thus, the resist can be left only at the bottom portion of the opening, using a positive resist.
In the above described manufacturing method, preferably, the step of forming the resist only at the bottom portion of the opening includes the step of applying the resist on an entire surface, and developing the resist to remove a relatively shallow portion only and to leave relatively deep portion, from an upper surface of the resist.
Thus, it becomes possible to leave the resist only on the bottom portion of the opening using either a negative or positive resist.
In the above described manufacturing method, preferably, the step of forming a porous conductive layer includes, after the conductive layer is formed, the step of performing heat treatment or making the layer porous and rough, under the condition of a temperature of 600xc2x0 C. to 620xc2x0 C. for 1 to 5 minutes.
Thus, an electrode having a porous cylindrical portion can be formed.
The foregoing and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.